This bushland valley in the northern Sydney suburb of Gordon has been home to grey-headed flying-foxes since the 1960s with reports of occupation in the 1940s.
This camp is a vital link in the network of camps used by flying-foxes as they move throughout their range. Fluctuations in the numbers of flying-foxes roosting in the camp have been monitored since the 1980s. Read more about fly-out counts.
Ku-ring-gai Council is the landowner and manages the reserve with assistance and advice from Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society Inc. A Conservation Agreement between Council and the New South Wales Environment Minister protects the site for flying-foxes in perpetuity.
A management plan guides Council and the community in caring for the reserve. Click here to view the up-dated management plan from Council's website. The habitat restoration project has been acknowledged as an excellent example of a co-operative partnership between local government, Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society and the wider community. In 2008 it was highly commended by the Global Restoration Network.
Photos: Grey-headed flying-fox enjoys the sun; Mother and baby aloft. Photos by Vivien Jones. [Images to be added — see assets list]
About the Reserve
The Ku-ring-gai Flying-fox Reserve is located in a bushland valley near Gordon railway station on Sydney's north shore. The reserve provides critical roosting habitat for the grey-headed flying-fox, a species listed as Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Habitat Restoration Project
Since 2000, habitat restoration in the Ku-ring-gai Flying-fox Reserve has evolved from using small plastic sleeves and cages to building larger exclosures that successfully protect native seedlings from swamp wallabies. These efforts, maintained by Bushcare volunteers and Council, have created thriving rainforest patches that support flying-foxes and other wildlife while still leaving food for wallabies outside the fences.
Read more about the 25-year restoration journey →